Leadership and structure

Commissioner Smith has spent 30 years serving families, children, the aging population, and people experiencing homelessness. She’s led human services departments across the country, most recently serving nearly five years as the Chief Executive Officer at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services where she led five divisions: Behavioral Health, Children and Family Services, Developmental Disabilities, Medicaid & Long-Term Care, and Public Health.

During her tenure in Nebraska, Smith convened a statewide behavioral health task force; focused on opportunities to improve behavioral health services for adults and children, as well as initiated the exploration of Medicaid utilization as a payer for behavioral health services; and redesigned the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center system to include intensive clinical and therapeutic services in the juvenile justice system. While in Virginia Beach, she collaborated with the Sheriff’s Office to provide enhanced behavioral health services in the jail system and provided strategic oversight in the development of the “First Responders” initiative to provide behavioral health services in the community with the Virginia Beach Police Department as part of their service calls.

The 2023 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), Commissioner Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago. She’s also completed the Kennedy School of Government, Child Welfare Executive Leadership Program at Harvard.

Kelly Causey joined BHA after seven years as president and CEO of the Colorado Children's Campaign, where she advocated for Colorado’s children, and was responsible for the strategic leadership and advancement of the organization’s mission. Prior to that, she served for 18 years as CEO of Mile High Youth Corps, which employed, educated and trained young adults who served on community-based projects and delivered services in 15 counties.

Kelly holds a Ph.D. in health and behavioral sciences from the University of Colorado Denver and a B.A. in psychology from Scripps College. She has been in Colorado for almost 30 years, and in her free time she can be found at a CU game or the theater.

Les joins the Behavioral Health Administration from the Washington State Department of Health where he has served as Chief of Innovation and Technology since 202. Les has led efforts in data, informatics, health technology services and Innovation and project management.

While serving in Washington, Les also provided strategic consultation on IT and data strategy implementation including Washington State’s 988 systems. And, prior to his role in Washington, he served as the Deputy Director of Harris County Public Health in Texas. With over 18 years of public service leadership, he holds a B.A. in Management and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from LeTourneau University.

Dr. Aisha Rousseau joins the Behavioral Health Administration as Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to joining BHA, she spent several years as an appointed official and Executive Director in the City and County of Denver under Mayor Michael B. Hancock's administration. In these roles, she led city-wide trainings and the implementation of over $750 million in projects focused on disability and community access.

Before relocating back to Denver, Dr. Rousseau was a tenure-track professor at the University of Arizona, where she taught master's and doctoral students. She has a number of published peer-reviewed publications and book chapters focused on the intersection of various health-related matters and gender.

Dr. Rousseau holds a Bachelor's degree from Spelman College, a Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Ph.D. from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. Born in Denver, she has since lived all over the world and she enjoys continuing to travel and learn new information.